Kaing is the only former Khmer Rouge leader to have been convicted by the ECCC. Ieng Sary, Ieng Thirith, Khieu Samphan and Nuon Chea were indicted [JURIST report] in September 2010. The ECCC ruled that Ieng Thirith was unfit to stand trial, but the Supreme Court Chamber in December ordered that she remain in detention [JURIST reports] and that the Trial Chamber exhaust all measures so that she can stand trial. The other three went on trial [JURIST report] in November. In October 2010, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen informed the UN that Cambodia will not allow further prosecutions of low-ranking Khmer Rouge officers [JURIST report].

Last November, a court convicted 31 people [JURIST report] for crimes committed during the Gujarat riots and sentenced them to life in prison and a requirement to pay a fine. In 2009, the National Human Rights Commission [official website] filed a case with the Supreme Court in which it took issue [press release] with the lack of prosecution in the case. The Supreme Court [official website] ordered an investigation into the conduct of the trial as well as the protection of witnesses. In 2004, Human Rights Watch (HRW) [advocacy website] issued a report [finding, PDF] urging witness protection for those involved in the case after allegations [JURIST report] of threats and pressure from the state arose.

Last Friday, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon [official website] condemned [JURIST report] the recent attacks by pro-government troops against innocent civilians. In March, HRW reported that Syrian government officials were rounding up civilians [JURIST report] and forcing them to walk in front of the army in order to shield the army from opposition forces. Also in March, the UN Human Rights Council [official website] voted to pass [JURIST report] a non-binding resolution condemning Syrian authorities for continued bloodshed and violations of human rights. This official condemnation from the rights body came on the heels of a demand for a cease-fire [JURIST report] by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay [official profile] in late February. Also in February, the UN-appointed International Independent Commission of Inquiry on Syria accused the government of violating international human rights law [JURIST report] after finding that Syrian forces are engaging in torture and killings under orders from high level government officials. The increasing unrest in Syria has garnered international attention and has sparked controversy in America about what its role should be [JURIST op-ed].

Israel's parliament and judiciary have experienced increasing tension. The Knesset passed a new law in January that changed the rules [JURIST report] governing the selection of Supreme Court justices. The contentious law had been criticized for undermining the independence of the judiciary in an effort to further a conservative judge favored by the government. Many fear the new laws will influence judicial decisions, impede upon the rights of the press and be used to harass liberal groups. Parliament also restricted the power of the Israel Supreme Court [JURIST report] in 2008 when it passed a bill granting the Knesset authority to revise laws overturned by the court and renewing those laws' validity. In those cases, the Knesset could overturn a Supreme Court ruling with an ordinary one-round of voting rather than the 61-vote majority in the 120-member body in three rounds of voting currently required to overturn the Supreme Court.

Before last year's investigative report was released, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev [official profile; JURIST news archive] said that Magnitsky's pre-trial death was the result of criminal acts [JURIST report] and not attributable to the denial of medical treatment from prison doctors. In a controversial move last August, Russian investigators reopened the case [JURIST report] against Magnitsky on the basis of a new ruling permitting criminal cases against the dead. Critics of this action, such as JURIST Contributing Editor David Crane, argue that the ongoing posthumous prosecution of Magnitsky is a violation of the rule of law [JURIST op-ed] and an embarrassment for the Russian judicial system. Prior to his death, Magnitsky was held in prison for 358 days with little to no access to legal representation, his family or medical professionals. In 2010, US lawmakers introduced a bill [JURIST report] that would prohibit the US State Department [official website] from issuing visas to individuals, or their family members, who are connected to Magnitsky's death.